The US textile industry supports the 10 per cent tariff on the remaining $300 billion of imports from China. This move will lead to more re-shoring of production to the United States and the Western hemisphere production platform—and will also address and mitigate China’s rampant trade distortions.

Supporters of the tariff represent the full spectrum of the US textile industry from fiber through finished sewn products. This includes domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers. The industry has long supported efforts to crack down on China’s abuse of intellectual property rights and also wants finished apparel and home furnishings to be included in any retaliatory tariffs against China. Finished apparel, home furnishings and other made-up textile goods equate to 93.5 per cent of US imports from China while fiber, yarn and fabric imports from China only represent 6.5 per cent. The industry has long wanted to include finished products on the tariff list.

Chinese imports of finished goods into the US market are seen as unfair trade practices and having a significant impact and disruption on domestic textile and apparel production, investment and jobs. China is seen as a rampant intellectual property abuser.